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Charmin toilet tissue says skid marks are only good for racetracks

Charmin is the latest non-traditional sponsor hoping to make its mark at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

NASCAR has come a long way from the beer, cigarette and motor-oil advertising of its early days. These days, no topic is too adult for consumption by the general public.

In 2000, Viagra became Mark Martin's primary sponsor on his Roush Racing Ford. In the last month, Juan Pablo Montoya's machismo didn't seem challenged by the Depend adult diaper sponsorship of his EGR Chevy.

Now, Charmin toilet paper has taken it a step further with a promotion at Charlotte Motor Speedway called “Stop Skid marks.”

While the Viagra and Depend advertising were either age appropriate or discrete, Charmin plans a rather in-your-face campaign that will feature huge billboard banners with artwork consisting of men's tighty whities with tire skid marks on the backside of them.

One of these banners, approximately, 30 by 40 feet, faces Highway 29, the main road running past the Speedway.

On one hand, you have to think of this a very creative marketing idea. As the Charmin's creative arm told Advertising Age, the trade paper of that industry, “We think about poop and toilet paper all day, every day. And we love it.”

Marcus Smith, president and chief operating officer and director of NASCAR track owner Speedway Motorports Inc., and general manager of SMI owned Charlotte Motor Speedway, is also pretty pleased with the promotion. He told Autoweek, “I think it really shows the power of great creative thinking. The creativity behind the campaign all the attention has gotten. It's clear that people appreciate good creative fun.”

Not only will Charmin be handing out samples of its Ultra Strong product, but it also will start a social media campaign with the hashtag #TweetFromTheSeat.

On the other hand, you'll have to wonder what precocious kids, in cars passing along the track, will be asking their folks about the sign.

“I'd think they would know,” Smith, a 39-year old, himself a father of two, added with a big laugh.

“We ought to sell T-shirts,” said Smith.

While the Charmin deal is only at Charlotte, it kind of fits in with the concept of fans' comfort going back to the day when Marcus Smith's father, Bruton, built the (currently) 138,000 seat Texas Motor Speedway. Both are among tracks owned by SMI.

Bruton bragged that it had more toilets than any other similar NASCAR facility.

Obviously the fans' bottom line is as important to the Smith family as is its bottom line at SMI.